A jazz organ love story at the Long Center

Dr. Lonnie Smith will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

FRIDAY: For Dr. Lonnie Smith, the Hammond B3 organ came as a miracle. When he was a little boy, he would always hang out at the music store. One day, Art Kubera, the store owner, showed him the organ. Smith didn't know it then, but it was the start of a career-long love.

"The organ seemed to have fallen in my lap from heaven," he said.

Now, 70 years old and still playing, Smith calls Kubera his angel.

"The organ is an extension of my being," he said. "It's something I couldn't give up if I tried."

Smith has been called a living legend of the jazz organ, and at 8 p.m. Friday, he will bring the talents of the Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio to the Long Center. The show is a Purdue Convocations event.

Smith will perform with Jonathan Kreisberg and Jamire Williams, and he said they will be bringing an exciting jazz sound. The group will perform some things listeners will have heard before and some things from Smith's new album, "The Healer."

Smith said the music draws everyone from kids to older people. While many people are used to the music they hear on the radio, Smith said what he plays is exciting because it's different. People will want to listen and dance.

"The great thing they're feeling with this music - it's alive," he said.

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Long Center for the Performing Arts, 111 N. Sixth St.

How much: $26 for the public, $19 for students and children. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-914-SHOW.

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A jazz organ love story at the Long Center

FRIDAY: For Dr. Lonnie Smith, the Hammond B3 organ came as a miracle. When he was a little boy, he would always hang out at the music store. One day, Art Kubera, the store owner, showed him the organ.